One moment in time
by Kotay3
Summary: Austin is enjoying a little time of piece and quiet together with his lover


**One moment in time**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Paring: Austin/ Call

Genre: Slash

Summary: Austin is enjoying a little time of piece and quiet together with his lover

Set sometime after betrayal. AU from that episode.

Spoilers: Mentions of Betrayal and The robbery.

**One moment in time**

The rays of the warm afternoon sun reflected itself in the clear water that run in the small creek by the meadow. It was still rather hot outside, the birds were singing and the flies were buzzing along with a cloud of mosquitoes.

Austin glanced down at Call's blond haired head which lay resting in his lap, letting his fingers run through the surprisingly soft sun bleached stands with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Lord, if anyone had told him a year earlier that he would have ended up falling for and loving the man that he once hated and wished for dead, he would have shot them right between the eyes without any hesitation. The only trouble would probably have been to hide the body where it never could be found, though it wouldn't have been that much of a problem, he would just have had to call in a favour or three.

Austin smiled as he thought about how much things had changed, for the better, since that fateful day he and Call had ridden out into the woods to meet Ned and his men.

The two of them had ended up watching each others' backs and Austin had taken a bullet for the bounty hunter. It had been the first time Austin let his guard down around the other man and had accepted Call's help as they made their way back to the doc's clinic.

That incident had been the turning point in their tense relationship and from that day a new bond had formed between the two men. They'd started to hang out more often, especially after Call had repaid his debt to Austin by saving him from being hanged and the former sheriff was finally his own man, free from having to carry out Mosby's dirty work any longer.

As time went by the two men surprised themselves by slowly becoming good friends. Of course they still had their fights and arguments now and then, but instead of drawing guns at one another or handing out punches, they shouted at each other for a while, slammed some doors or one of them rode out of town for a while to clam down before returning. But they always ended their arguments over a glass at the Dove without any bloodshed, much to the relief of the town people.

With Call's help Austin finally gotten his heavy drinking under control as well as regaining back the control of his own life. He'd at last come to terms with the tragic death of his sister and was able to let go of the anger and guilt which he'd been carrying for so long, finally letting her memory to rest.

They'd talked a lot about her in the beginning of their friendship, sharing their different memories of her with each other. Austin forgave Call for not being therefore her, admitting to himself that Hannah's death had been an accident, however tragic it had been, and there was no one to be blamed for it.

Austin joined Call in his fight against the corruption in the little town of Curtis Wells and against Mosby and his band of merry men. It was now a common sight seeing the two of them walking side by side down the main street towards the Dove or the stables.

Call had against all odds succeeded in persuading the older man into going bounty hunting with him. Surprisingly the former lawman had found himself enjoying the freedom the trips gave him.

They'd become lovers shortly after their third hunting trip together, sharing passionate among the sand dunes in the dry and quiet desert under the starry sky.

He placed a tender kiss on Call's forehead, breathing in the unique musky scent of his lover mixed with the faint smell from the lavender soap they'd used to wash themselves with in the stream earlier that day. He pushed back against the heavy tree trunk and closed his eyes with a content sigh. They weren't expected to be back in town for at least another two hours.

He let the soft breathing of his lover lull him into a deep slumber.

Life was good.


End file.
